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Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch; bishop of Antioch, sentenced to death in Rome during a persecution of Christians; famous for the seven letters he wrote while on the journey to Rome; met the lions in Circus Maximus in about 107 A.D. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/17/22 Gospel:Luke 12:13-21

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/16/22 Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

Saturday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila, 1515-1582; spent much of her time and energy--with the assistance of St. John of the Cross--seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive rule; her writings, especially "The Way of Perfection" and "The Interior Castle," have helped generations of believers Office of...

Friday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Callistus I; Roman slave who lost money which was entrusted to him; he was released to make restitution, was arrested for brawling in a synagogue, and was condemned to the mines in Sardinia; after winning freedom he became manager of the Christian burial ground, still called the cemetery of St. Callistus; elected pope, and his oppon...

Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Edward the Confessor, 1003-1066; brought up a Norman, but was acclaimed king of England in 1042l his reign was peace, but struggles were caused partly by his natural inclination to favor the Normans; in later years, he build St. Peter's Abbey at Westminster--the site of the present abbey--where he is buried; his piety gained him the...

Wednesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Edwin of Northumbria, 586-633; pagan king who converted to Christianity, and spent the final six years of his reign as a devout Catholic monarch who brought peace to his kingdom; slain in a military battle, and is venerated as a martyr Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/12/22 Gospel: Luke 11:42-46

Tuesday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Pope St. John XXIII, 1881-1963; born in rural Italy, ordained in 1904; served as a stretcher-bearer in World War I; elected pope just before his 78th birthday; called for the Second Vatican Council; took his work seriously, but not himself, and was known for his wit Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/11/22 Gospel: Luke 11:37-...

Monday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Francis Borgia, 1510-1572, born in Spain to an important family; after being widowed, he entered the Jesuits; helped establish what is now the Gregorian University in Rome; political and spiritual advisor to the emperor; founded a dozen colleges; elected head of the Jesuits at age 55 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/10/22 G...

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/9/22 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Saturday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Keyne; Fifth Century woman of Wales who refused suitors' offers of marriage and became a hermitess, traveling, while founding churches in South Wales, Cornwall, and Somerset Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/8/22 Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

Friday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary; observance established by St. Pius V in 1573, in thanksgiving for a Christian victory in the Battle of Lepanto Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/7/22 Gospel: Luke 11:15-26

Thursday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, 1811-1849; born in Quebec, educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame; at the bishop's invitation, she founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, dedicated to Christian education; she remained unswerving in her concern for the poor, and died at the age of 38 Office of Readings and Morning Prayer f...

Wednesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1905-1938; born in what is now west-central Poland; as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, she carried out her work faithfully, and received revelations from the Lord Jesus--who chose to emphasize his mercy and forgiveness for sins acknowledged and confessed; thus, St. Faustina...

Tuesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226; serious illness brought him to a conversion; he heeded the Lord's call, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down"; he never intended to found an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all legal strructures needed to support it; his devotion an loyalty to the Church we...

Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Theodora Guerin, 1798-1856; born in France; joined the Sisters of Prividence in 1823; she was sent, with five sisters, to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840, to form a new religious congeregation, and care for the sick poor; she and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic women religious...

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 10/2/22 Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

Saturday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897; the "Little Flower" lived a cloistered life of obscurity in the convent of Lisieux; her preference was for "hidden sacrifice," saying that "to pick up a pin for love can convert a soul"; her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," is read and loved throughout the world Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for...

Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Jerome, 345-420; avid student, thorough scholar, prodigious letter-writer, and consultant to monk, bishop, and pope; translated the Bible into what became known as the Vulgate; traveled extensively in Palestine, and settled in Bethlehem, in what was believed to be the cave of the Lord's nativity, where he died Office of Readings and Morning...

Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Thursday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/29/22 Gospel: John 1:47-51

Wednesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, 907-935; born near Prague, the son of Duke Wratislaw, who was murdered; after a coup in 922, Wenceslaus became the ruler; after Wenceslaus had a son, his brother Boleslaus was no longer successor to the throne, so he and a group of dissenters murdered Wenceslaus Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/28/22 Gospel...

Tuesday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Vincent de Pau, 1580-1660; became leader of what is now known as the Congreagation of Mission, or the Vincentians, who devote themselves to people in smaller towns and villages; eventually formed confraternities, from which sprang the Daughters of Charity; patron of all charitable societies Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/27/22...

Monday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time Optional Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian; Third Century brothers skilled in the science of medicine; took no money for their services; captured as Christians during the persecution of Diocletian, tortured, and martyred; the patrons of pharmacists Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/26/22 Gospel: Luke 9:46-50

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 9/25/22 Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Saturday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Saint of the Day: St. Rupert of Salzburg, 660-710; as bishop of Worms, he was asked to evangelize Bavaria; he converted Duke Theodo II, and built the abbey of St. Peter and the Nonnberg convent; converted pagan temples into Christian churches, and established the salt-mining industry, from which the city takes its name Office of Readings and Morning Praye...

Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), 1887-1968; grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy; joined the Capuchins at age 15; received a vision of Jesus in 1918, and when the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side; heard confessions up to ten hours per day; cures were reported through his intercession Office of Reading...